Partition for sinks



June 4, 1940. F. A. HANSON- 2,203,052

PARTITION FOR SINKS Filed March 11, 1939 Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES.

PATENT; OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for effectin a fluid-tight connection between the edge and face of two walls disposed transversely to each other, and While the invention may be used for this general purpose in other situations, in the present specifications it is described as applied to a transverse wall or partition to be set up in a tub or sink.

Modern kitchen sinks are now frequently constructed with a fixed wall that divides the sink into two sections. This is very convenient in washing dishes because a rinsing bath may be maintained on one side of the partition and the washing bath and suds on the other side.

Such a partition or dam wall has been suggested heretofore, provided with vacuum cups to seat against the bottom or wall of the sink to hold the dividing wall in place, but my experiments along this line have demonstrated that merely providing the wall with vacuum cups to seat against the sink bottom is insufficient to prevent leakage into the cup and to effeet a good serviceable attachment between the lower edge of the division wall and the sink. One of the objects of this invention is to overcome this difliculty and to provide means cooperating with the cup in such a way as to insure the maintenance of substantially perfect vacuum within the cup, therebyinsuring high pressure and a tight seal around its edges.

A further object of the invention is to provide a division wall with means forsupporting it on the cup in such a way that in setting the wall in place a force is exerted from the middle of the cup wall to keep pressing the lower edge of the plate against the face to which it is sealmg.

It has been proposed heretofore to hold a division wall of this kind in place bymeans of a vacuum strip extending along near the lower edge of the wall but that type of connection seems objectionable because the slightest imperfection of the seal at any point along its length will break the vacuum for the entire length of the strip, and accordingly one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apron type of seal that will overcome this objection.

A further object of the inventionis to provide simple means for'enabling drainage to in effected at the lower edge of the wall when desired. This makes it unnecessary to removethe division wall every time it is used, in order to drain the sink.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

(c1. 4 1 ss) The invention consists in the novel parts-and illustrating a dividing wall embodying my invention, in place and ready to be seated there.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section upon a larger scale on the line 22 of Fig. 1, passing through the sink bottom, and further illustrating details of one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention, which I call the apron type.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44- of Fig. 3, showing part of the side wall of the sink, further illustrating the construction of this apron type of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of a division Wall showing a portion of the bottom section of the gasket and particularly illustrating a gate that may be provided for draining through the division wall. In dotted lines the gate isillustrated in. its open position.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section about on the line 66 of Fig. 5, passing through the lower edge of the division wall and the gasket and also passing through the adjacent portion of the sink bottom.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and. 2,

the Wall to be sealed is in the form of a plate I fitting approximately to the cross-section of the sink 2 and provided on its edge with a gasket 3. This gasket may extendonlyon the-bottom and side edges of the plate, but if desired may be in the form of a continuous strip of cushion material such as rubber, the ends of which are brought together and secured by means of a saddle clip 4 attached to the upper edge of the plate. This gasket is thick enough to insure that the division plate I can be made watertight in sinks with inclined. walls and that may vary in inclination. Another function performed by the gasket is to develop a resistance to the seating of the partition and develop a force acting in a direction to maintain an upward pull on the middle of each vacuum cup 5.

There may be as many of these cups as desired but in Figs. 1 and 2 Ihave illustrated only two, one on each side. Each cup is secured in place ted lines in Fig. 5.

by means of a bracket 6 secured to the plate I and having a substantially horizontal arm attached to the middle of the cup by means of a threaded shank 1. These brackets may be rigid but are preferably of resilient material such as spring steel.

The gasket may be a pneumatic tube but as illustrated, it is of solid rubber preferably formed with a V-shaped or U-shaped notch 8 in its outer face, thereby forming two projecting lips 9 that press against the inner surface of the sink and make a tight seal all around the plate.

In seating the plate the pressure of the brackets on the cups, flattens them down against the bottom and also compresses the gasket. The resiliency of the rubber gasket tends to push it up and also pull up the cups. These forces balance each other, the upward push of the gasket maintaining the vacuum in the cups. The resiliency of the brackets gives a follow up to this action.

In order to enable the retained water to be drained, I prefer to provide a movable gate it]. This gate is preferably an integral part of the gasket, having a cross-section such as shown in Fig. 6, and swings open as indicated by the dot- The free edge of the gate is cut on a bevel or incline so as to fit against a correspondingly beveled seat II. This bevel insures substantial tightness of the gate. The gate will hold itself open or closed on account of the compression of the gasket, but means such as a small vacuum cup 12 may be attached to the gate to hold it open. This would be accomplished by pressing down on the cup l2 while the gate is in its open position.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the body of the gasket l3 does not seat against the surface of the sink but is provided with a laterally extending apron I4 that lies against the surface of the sink, and is preferably provided with a series of cups formed in the material of the apron. When the partition is put in place these cups should be pressed down fiat in succession by ones hand, and operate to adhere to the sink surface. This apron extends continuously across the bottom of the sink and up its sides.

I The other side of the partition l6 should be provided with one or more vacuum cups such as the cup I! for securing the partition itself to the sink bottom.

As the cups l are distinct from each other it is evident that a leak at one cup will be confined to that cup and the remaining cups will con tinue to function.

Many other embodiments of this invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A removable sink partition having a body of a form approximating the inner cross-section of the sink, compressible sealing means for effecting a substantially water-tight sealfor the edge of the body adjacent the surface of the sink, a bracket attached to the body and projecting lat erally therefrom, and a vacuum cup carried by said bracket for engaging and clinging to the said surface, said bracket, after the cup has been pressed forcibly toward the surface, operating to impart force to the partition to press the sealing means against the surface.

2. In a removable sink partition having a body with a form approximating the inner cross-section ofthe sink, a substantially water-tight com pressible'gasket on the edge of the body, a yield- 2,20s,052 a r ing spring-form bracket attached to the body and projecting laterally therefrom, and a vacuum cup carried by said bracket for engaging, and

the edge of the body adjacent the surface of the sink and for exerting an upward thrust on the said body when the partition has been forced down into place, a resilient bracket attached to the body and projecting laterally therefrom, a

vacuum cup carried by said bracket to be forced against the sink surface so as to cling to the inner face of the sink body, said gasket means and said resilient bracket cooperating with the vacuum cup to maintain the body securely in position.

4. A removable sink partition having a rigid body with a form approximating the inner crosssection of the sink, compressible sealing means between the edge of the body and the sink wall for effecting a substantially water-tight seal for the edge of the body, a spring-form bracket attached to the body and projecting laterally therefrom, a vacuum cup carried by said bracket to be pressed against, and clinging to, the inner face of the sink body, said spring bracket and vacuum cup cooperating to maintain the partition in a substantially vertical plane and with the sealing means forcibly pressed against the sink bottom. 7 l v n 5. A removable sink partition having a rigid body with a form approximating the inner crosssection of the sink, compressible sealing. means between the edge of the body and the sink'wall for effecting a substantiallywater-tight sealfor.

the edge of the body, a spring-form bracket attached to the body and projecting laterally therefrom, a vacuum cup carried by said bracket to be pressed against, and clinging to, the inner face of the sink body, said spring bracket and vacuum cup cooperating to,maintain the parti-.

tion in a substantially vertical plane and with the sealing means forcibly pressed against the sink bottom, and a gate formed in the gasket and capable of swinging laterally out of theplane of the partition for effecting drainage through edge of said body and having a plurality of non-,

communicating vacuum cups formed as cup-form recesses the walls of which merge into the wall of said apron, for engaging the inner surface of the sink to secure the apron thereto.

7. A removable sink partition having a rigid plate-form body approximating in outline the inner cross-section of the sink, a compressible gasket attached to the edgegof said body andlocated between the edge of the body and the surface of the sink when the partition is in place,

vacuum cup means disposed on each side of the body and connected with the body, said vacuum cup means operating when pressed downwardly against the bottom of the sink to exert a constant force maintaining the compressible sealing means in compression and holding the said body in a substantially vertical plane.

FREDERICK A. H NSON. 

